During the COVID-19 pandemic, many oral health providers incorporated teledentistry into their practices. What successes and challenges did they uncover? How have their perceptions of teledentistry evolved?
To find out, CareQuest Institute conducted a series of three surveys of dental team members from Advantage Dental Oral Health Center in Oregon and Washington. These surveys explored how attitudes toward teledentistry changed over the course of six months as providers gained experience with virtual workflows and new software within the practices.
Before implementation, nearly a third (32%) of respondents thought that the quality of care given to patients would decrease with the use of teledentistry. Following six months of teledentistry implementation:
- More than three-quarters (76%) of respondents believed that utilizing a teledentistry platform increased access to care for patients.
- Approximately half of respondents agreed that utilizing a teledentistry platform increased patient satisfaction (51%) and helped shorten patient wait times to get an appointment (47%).
- Almost 85% of respondents said dentistry was ready to accept teledentistry as a care delivery method.
The survey results show that providers are open to teledentistry, and that it can play a crucial role in increasing access to care and improving quality of care.
You may also be interested in:
- Teledentistry: Opportunities for Expanding the Capacity and Reach of the Oral Health Care System, a report by the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) and CareQuest Institute provides a framework to identify opportunities and strategies to incorporate teledentistry into oral health delivery systems.
- Pandemic Drives Dental Provider Confidence in Telehealth, a research report that provides insight into utilization of teledentistry during the pandemic as well as opportunities for growth beyond the pandemic.
- Teledentistry: Removing Barriers and Moving Toward Implementation, a visual report that explores the landscape, barriers, potential solutions, and action steps related to teledentistry.
